Architect MIA for TR1 final signoff
We have a job that’s finished, and all that’s left to be done is for the architect who filed the permits for us to do the TR1 filing for self-cert. The architect is hard to get in touch with, and seems to not want to get involved. According to NYC Dept. of Buildings, it’s MUCH…
We have a job that’s finished, and all that’s left to be done is for the architect who filed the permits for us to do the TR1 filing for self-cert. The architect is hard to get in touch with, and seems to not want to get involved. According to NYC Dept. of Buildings, it’s MUCH easier if the original filing architect finishes this off, rather than having to hire a new one to finish his work. Any advice as to how to get this done, or what it would cost to have a new architect come in to finish this off for us?
Many thanks!
That is a little annoying from the part of the architect if you’re paid up and on time too, happy with the design. Could it possibly be a code issue? Certainly the architect should at least clarify why he or she is not signing off…(I’m an architect and have refused sign-off only once when the owner refused to remedy an illegal condition – they still owe us $15,000 but the sign off is always independent of money…You can pay me a million $ and I still wouldn’t sign off on an illegal condition.
OP here. Thank you rasmalai and guest(s) for your input.
I don’t think we were the cheap nasty owners from hell, although the architect might not think of us as friends – we had a low-ish budget, and the architect worked with us on it, with several revisions of drawings etc.
The original architect did a wonderful job on the design – we love the way the renovation worked out – it’s just that the architect is very slow to return phone calls – if they ever get returned at all. We were paying this person by the hour, and always paid out bills on time – many thousands of dollars worth. At the moment, there are no outstanding invoices, and we are happy to pay the architect to come and do this last sign-off – we just want the architect to reply to our many calls, and to show up – so we can all move on!
wonderful architects at it again…if its not a developer or contractor acting out its an architect. what next
If you have some payment still due to the architect upon sign-off, I can’t see why he/she would not want to get that money unless you’ve ticked him/her off.
Please tell us the entire story. This sounds fishy.
The unknown question is: Why isn’t the original architect signing the job off?
Perhaps the Owner-Architect relationship has soured? and this could be the fault of either one or both – lame incompetant architect or cheap nasty owner from hell?
I wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole but there are plenty of bottom feeder architects in NYC who would be happy to take your money.
I would imagine that any architect that stepped up to do a final sign off for you would have to do an exhaustive evaluation of the permit drawings to verify that they are code compliant. this is especially so in this case because it was a self-cert application, so things that might have been picked on by a plan examiner flew under the radar through the self cert. So after an exhaustive review a new architect may say that a few things have to be amended in the drawings, and filed under a post approval amendment to make sure they are a part of the record set the city has. Then, any changes made would have to be reflected in what’s built in the field..and this is were the can or worms opens up. I think you understand what I mean w/o having to get into detail. Finally there is a liability issue that the architect would have to address in terms of any future problems. I don’t know what the scope of your project was, but I don’t see anyone stepping into this kind of situation for less than 7500. If I were you I’d start off with an expeditor who know his business, maybe JAM consultants, or with an architect that does both architecture-expediting: Michael DeLuna. Both of these guys have been mentioned various times in other threads on this forum. I know them both, and you can find their contact info. online.